PRISONS REPORT

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 30, 29 October 1921, Page 2

PRISONS REPORT

CRIMINAL POPULATION ILL EFFECT OF HARD TIMES BENEFITS OF WAGES SYSTEM The annual report of the ControllerGeneral of Prisons was presented to the House of Repreclehtatives this week. "An analysis of the criminal statistics for 1920,” stales the report, "shows that 3491 offenders-. were received into prison (hiring the year, compared with 3207 for the previous twelve months, an increase of 284; while the daily average number of prisoners in all the prisons of tho Dominion worked cut at 939.69 for 1920, against 1004.34 for 1919, and 981.95 for 1918.

"In comparing the figures for the three years it must bo remembered that in 1918 and 1919 the number of inmates of tho prisons and prison institutions was largely augmented by the presence of a considerable percentage of military court-martialled prisoners who could not bo legitimately classed as criminals. In order, therefore, to arrive at a proper estimate of the increase or decrease in the criminal population it is necessary to deduct from the figures for tho three years the daily average number of persons who were serving sentences for purely military offences (failure to enlist, refusal to servo in the Forces, etc.). All offenders in this category were discharged before the end of 1920, except two who -were sentenced to long terms by military courts-martial outside the Dominion for serious civil offences ('manslaughter and attempted murder. The daily average number of military courtmartialled prisoners for. 19?0 was 34.07, for 1919 192.80. and for 1918 222.928. The average criminal population as therefore reduced to 905.62 in 1920, to 811.54 In 1919, and to 759.022 in 1918. There was TThis an actual increase of 94.08, or 11155 per cent., in the daily average number of criminal prisoners over the figures for 1919, and 146.59, or 19.31 per cent, over 1918. In 1913. the last complete period before the war, the daily average prison population was 893.24, or 12.38 less than for the year under review. I drew attention in my last year's report to the satisfactory decrease in the daily average _X>f criminals in our prisons in 1919 compared with the prewar year, but pointed out that -we were then 'floating upon a wave of apparent prosperity’ that probably accounted for this somewhat unexpected position after the conclusion of a great war, and that if the conditions changed for the worse the 'change would be reflected in our criminal statistics.’

"That the altered conditions prevailing (faring- the past twelve months have had the expected ill effect is . further evideuced by the fact. that, the daily average prison population for the financial year ended March 31 last was 965.03, while the number of prisoners in all the jmsons on July 30 of this year (1921) was 1050.

Employment of Prison Labour. Tlie works organisation of the Department has shown tangible results, ai.o the high level attained last year has in no way been reduced. Tho various works in progress when the 1919-20 report was written , have much advanced, and in some cases completed, while other undertakings of considerable magnitude have been entered upon. Tho breaking-in and improvement of our different properties has proceeded so satisfactorily that the time is fast approaching when it will be necessary to acquire other and larger areas of unimproved land, if the Department is to continue its policy of developing tlie public estate in the interest of production and settlement. It is perfectly obvious that when our properties are fully developed and have become cultivated farms there will not bo sufficient omploymont in connection with ordinary agricultural work to provide full and profitable occupation for all the men at present available. This position !has already had the attention of the Department, and a’ proposition has been placed before tlie Government that, if accepted will result in much useful work in the interest of settlement being carried out within the next few years. < Payment of Wages. "In terms of the announcement made in last year’s Budget, regulations were gazetted in December, 1920, providing for the payment of wages to prisoners with necessitous dependants, the new system onerating as from January 1, 1921. Ine rates of pay were fixed on a sliding scale, rising from 6s. to Bs. per day for labourers, and from 7s. Gd. to 10s. per day lor skilled workers, a deduction of one-halt the total weekly eatnings being made to meet the cost of maintenance and supervision. Tho actual weekly sum available as a contribution towards ’the support of dependants, therefore, amounts to 16s. 6d. for tho first month, rising to £1 2sj per week in the third! month after a prisoner-labourer commences to receive pay. f Under tlie regulations' no payments of any kind can be made until a prisoner has served the first three months of his sentence, and has passed out of the probationary' grade in which he is placed when he is first received into prison. "At tho time of writing (July 31) the system has been in operation for seven months only, but its beneficial effects are already apparent. Under former conditions the officers responsible for the administration of the Prisons Department were continually faced with pitiable cases of destitution and absolute want among the dependants of prisoners who wore known to be energetically and intelligently carrying on the work allotted) to them, and were thus creating revenue for the State. Departmentally there was no means of affording th© slightest financial relief, although in recent years the actual cash receipts of the Department as a result of tho proper use of its labour had grown from a few hundreds of pounds to over .£39,000 per annum. Under the new system authorised last year a measure of relief can be given' to tho innocent, sufferers from others’ crimes. It may be thought that the payments now being made aro less than is warranted by the value of the work performed, by the individual prisoners, and that the dependent relatives are not receiving their proper quota of earnings. It must be remembered, however, that in this matter Now Zealand is making a somewhat bold departure from established practice, and care must be taken in the initial stages that the scheme does not break down with its own weight. Even under the present limits, conservatism is and must be the watchword of the Department in administering the regulations. Unless full dependency of near relatives is conclusively established' by careful inquiry through the recognised channels no prisoner is placed on the wages Tst, although every man who works well and conducts, -himself satisfactorily receives a small payment per diem to establish a fund for his personal u-o on release. The total amount paid out to dependants of prisoners for the first seven months of the calender vear 1921 was J 12130- It will thus be seen that the cost per annum to tho State, even of a limited scheme of wngcs-paynient, is by no means inconsiderable: but, in view of the fact that the cash earnings of the Department for last financial year amounted to over .£39.000. it will,' T think, be admitted that the dependants of the prisoners who help to bring in such a substantial annual return are entitled to the consideration they aro now receiving. Wellington Prisons.

"All the able-bodied prisoners at the Terrace Gaol have been employed on excavation work and gardening, while a few of the longer-sentenced men are being ianytht tailoring under a tailor officer. The excavation work, which is being carried out for tho Education

Board, is now sufficiently advanced to permit of a commencement being mado with the erection of a new infants’ school. The old female branch prison at the Terrace has been demolished, and tho site is to be lowered to suit the Education Board’s building scheme. Vegetable gardening is still carried on with a good deal of success. "The principal works carried out during the past year by inmates of Mount Cook Prison have been excavation for technical school buildings and demolition of brickworks and chimney-stack. The excavation work has been pushed forward vigorously, and a portion of’the new technical school buildings is now well advanced. A very large number of second-hand bricks have been recovered and sold, and the stocks of new bricks in the yard are nearly exhausted. Large quantities of materials from the dismantled drying-sheds and brick-kiln have been sent to the brickworks in course of erection at Wi Tako, Trentham.”